Bret Hester is Chief Legal Officer, responsible for legal, government relations and corporate secretary functions for TIAA and Nuveen.
Prior to his appointment to Chief Legal Officer in June 2025, Bret was Executive Vice President and General Counsel for TIAA, responsible for providing legal and strategic advice and guidance and overseeing the legal teams for Wealth & Advice, Banking, Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy and Development. Bret also led TIAA’s Government Relations and Public Policy team.
Bret joined TIAA in the fall of 2017 from Barclays, where he led the Washington, D.C. office. He previously served in the U.S. Treasury Department as senior advisor and counsel to the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance and the Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets. He also served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Government Financial Policy, responsible for overseeing the $70 billion Federal Financing Bank and the $20 billion State Housing Finance Agency Initiative. Bret was awarded the Treasury Secretary's Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the Department.
Bret also worked as a federal prosecutor, chief counsel to a U.S. Senator, in private legal practice, and was awarded the Safe Haven Award by Immigration Equality for his pro bono immigration work. He serves on the boards of the Investment Adviser Association and the Life Insurance Council of New York.